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A35023
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A letter written to a friend concerning Popish idolatrie
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Croft, Herbert, 1603-1691.
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1674
(1674)
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Wing C6968; ESTC R3785
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21,890
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35
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conferred by the true God yet broken down when worshipped contrary to this Commandment And I pray you observe how this Serpent is ranked with the Images and Groves and other Idolatrous things destroyed by good Hezekiah And what was the Idolatrous Worship given to this Brazen Serpent They did burn Incense to it the very same the Papist Priests do to their Images of Christ the blessed Virgin and Saints And ought they not likewise to be broken down as well as the Brazen Serpent set up in honour of the true God and which is more by the special Command of the true God which the Papists have not for their Images Yet Dr. Thorndick will needs have it that there is no fear of Idolatry among Christians now though we now see such gross Idolatry committed by them 'T is evident then that this Commandment concerns Christians as well as Jews and all Mankind for give me lieve to say that all Mankind always were and will be prone to Idolatry as appeared by the gross Idolatrous Worship of the wisest Heathens of old the Greeks and Romans the Chineses and Papists now We are by nature very sensual much pleased with sensible things but averse to spiritual To worship God in Spirit and in Truth is a sublime thing far above Nature this will always incline men to Idolatry and to worship God by sensible things by Pictures and Images contrary to his Command And you may be sure the Devil will be more forward to tempt Christians to it than ever he was to tempt Jews or Heathens his malice being more against us which makes our danger of Idolatry greater than theirs being as prone by Nature and more tempted by the Devil This made St. Austin very averse to Image-worship and gives the reason in his Tract on Psal. 113. Plus valent Simulacra ad curvandam infoelicem animam c. Images having the appearance of men with eyes ears mouths hands and the like do more deprave the minds of their Worshippers and more encline them to Idolatry than they are rectified and kept from Idolatry in that the Image doth not really see hear speak and the like 'T is strange the Papists will allow this holy Father for a Doctor and Saint of the Church for no man in the World can argue more against their Image-worship than he doth ' t is true his whole Discourse was intended against the Heathens because at that time there were no Christians that made use of Images by way of Worship as now the Papists do but his Arguments are as clearly and fully against the Papists now as they were against the Heathen then The Heathens then told St. Austin that they did not worship the Idol it self but the Deity represented by it just as the Papists say now and St. Austin in effect replies to both Let them excuse the matter how they please yet their practice was abominable for saith he the worshipping of any thing by an Image doth soon bring the Worshippers to forget the thing represented and apply their whole Worship to the Statue representing and come by degrees to be so affected to it as to believe the very Statue sees hears and furnishes them with those things they pray for The people set up a Statue in honour to the Sun and at length turn their backs to the Sun but their faces to the Statue pray offer Incense sacrifice and perform all their devotions to that Here you have St. Austin's Opinion of Statue and picture-Picture-worship how by degrees it draws away the hearts of men from the Persons represented by them and brings them at length to worship the Statues themselves And this Idolatrous inclination of the people is very much advanced by the Popish Writers who in their Legends mention several Statues and Pictures which have moved and spoken to their Worshippers and thereby have made the silly people run a madding and as the Scripture phrases it run a whoring after their Idols So that St. Austin's Opinion is as fully verified among the Papist Christians as ever it was among Heathens as you will see by that which follows When our late King of blessed memory went into Spain several of this Nation were Eye-witnesses of what I now relate At Madrid upon a Festival-day of the Blessed Virgin the Bishop Priests with hundreds of Monks and Friars and many thousands of the City went in solemn Procession carrying an Image of the Blessed Virgin under a rich Canopy of State born by several Noble persons with innumerable Torches and Wax-candles born by others the Priests and Religious Orders singing the Litany made to her the houses and streets all along garnished and here and there at the house of some great person much devoted to her was erected an Altar most splendidly adorned upon which the Image was set down to rest and some Hymn made to her was there sung mean while the Bishop and Priests putting Incense on Censers offer it up to her At length they came to a large place where was an Altar on the one side and a Theater on the other magnificently set forth the Image was placed on the Altar the Bishop Priests c. attending the Actors come forth on the Theater and begin a holy Comedy the people eager Spectators forgetting their duty to their Lady on the Altar flock round about the Theater the Officers of Misrule with great indignation fall on the people fiercely and forcing them to give place make a Lane from the Altar to the Theater that their Lady might have a full view of the Play a pleasant Comedy indeed and made all our English Protestants very merry but some of the discreeter English Papists there present were much troubled at this supposing with good reason it would be laid home to their charge as gross Idolatry for just as Saint Austin saith by the Papists great Devotion to this Statue they came to believe it had seeing Eyes and hearing Ears and so partakes much of this Comical entertainment and if so truly the Officers had just cause of indignation to see the people so rudely rush between their Lady and the Theater In the word of a Christian I affirm that one of the discreeter English Papists there present told me this passage and therefore there can be no doubt of the truth In the principla Church at Rome dedicated to the Blessed Virgin called Sancta Maria Majore The great holy Mary is a most stately high Altar and a little above it in the Wall is made a hollow place like a Cabinet where is reserved a Picture reported to be made by St. Luke which is commonly shut up but upon the special Feasts of the Blessed Virgin 't is exposed to view with store of goodly rich silver Lamps burning before it the smoak whereof hath black'd and quite defaced the Picture is it therefore cast away into the fire mark on the Door of this Cabinet is another fresh and excellent Picture lively representing the Blessed Virgin yet
which we are forbidden as I have shewed But had some great admirer of St. Francis here on earth then built a Church in his honour erected an Altar set him or his Picture on it kneel'd down and prayed to him had not this been gross Idolatry The Idolatry is the same and the folly greater now he is in heaven because there he neither hears nor sees their Devotion Certainly Sir I need say no more in this point but pass to another part of the Papists Idolatry their worshipping of Images A Papist lately had the strange confidence I will not say impudence to put out a Pamphlet wherein he affirmed that they make no other use of Pictures and Statues than meerly as Remembrancers of those persons or things they represent and so when they enter the Churches or other places where they are set up they give them only some glancing looks to this end far from any Worship and to assure you of this he farther adds that when they are by age or accident decayed so as not well to represent what they were made for they cut them in pieces and burn them as any other common Wood so little reverence do they afford the Pictures or Statues themselves What credit can you give such persons who so monstrously prevaricate who ever yet saw the Papists burn any one ancient Picture ever so decayed and defaced by Antiquity but rather reverence it much more as you may see by the ancient Picture or Statue of the Blessed Virgin reported to be made by St. Luke whereof more by and by Let us now see what passing glances they give to them Among the multitude of their various Devotions used on good Friday this is one A Crucifix which stands on the Altar is taken down and laid on a Cushion at the steps which ascend to the Altar the Bishop or chief Priest their present falls down on his knees at a little distance from it rising up and advancing a step or two falls down again the third time comes to the Cross and there prostrate along kisses the Crucifix again and again with all reverence and affection and so the rest of the Clergy in order and many other Devotees as far as the time will permit the mean while the Quoire chants forth a Hymn Dulce Lignum dulces Clavi c. Sweet Wood sweet Nails c. Call you these passing glances to prostrate on the ground and adore them But I pray farther observe the Crucifix stood before on the Altar a place most conspicuous to be seen and put them in remembrance of Christ were this all as they falsly pretend why then take it down meerly to express their great devotion to it by humbling themselves to the ground to kiss it But they will tell you this their Devotion is to Christ for the honour done to his Image redounds to Christ I answer that 's false however that they use Pictures only as remembrances and give them no Worship for they confess a Worship to the Picture in relation to Christ as we forsooth to the Kings Chair of State What would the Papists have done without this Chair of State 't is a main Argument with them and they are perpetually dunning our ears with it and I shall in requital now dunn them and shew their absurdity First then did they ever see any the most observant Courtier the King himself being personally present in some other part of the room go up to the Chair of State make his leg formally to that or kneel down and kiss it and if he did would not all count him ridiculous Yet the Papists do this to their Crucifix Christ himself being both personally and corporally as they believe their present on the Altar in their Host are not they then as ridiculous Secondly Do men naturally of themselves perform this homage to the Chair of State or by Court-order Bring a Country Gentleman ever so rational ever so civil to Court where at the Gate is erected I will suppose it so for argument sake a goodly Statue of the King then carry him up to the Guard-Chamber where hangs a fair Picture of the King then into the Presence-chamber where stands this Chair of State Let my ceremonious Papist take this civil Gentleman and conduct him along and say nothing to him of Court-order but tell him that 's the King's Statue that 's his Picture that 's his Chair of State if my Gentleman of himself take off his Hat and make a Leg to the first second or third be he ever so devoted to Royalty then take off my Head but when he comes into the Presence-chamber if his Conductor tell him 't is the Order of Court to put off the Hat where-ever he sees a Chair of State erected as representing the Kings Majesty no doubt but Reason and Civility both will move him to observe Court-orders while he is there But 't is probable Reason may prompt this Country Gentleman to ask why he must not as well put off his Hat to the Statue at the Gate or Picture so much more lively representing the King I believe my Papist Conductor will scarce find any other reasonable Answer to give him than that there is a Court-order for the one and none for the other 'T is evident then that the Order only makes the Ceremony observed at Court not the Chair of State So if my Papist can shew me a Divine Order to kneel down and prostrate my self to a Crucifix in honour to Christ I shall as readily do it as he adore it kiss it hug it any thing which God tells me is acceptable to his divine Goodness But seing I cannot find any thing from God to this purpose but much to the contrary and that which seems to my poor Understanding as full and clear a Prohibition as can be Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image to bow down to it or worship it And therefore the Popish Doctors as you know Sir do wisely in their Generation dash out of their Decalogue this Commandment and supply it by dividing the last of Coveting into two parts pretending that this Commandment against Images was a meer Ceremonial Command to the Jews so prone to Idolatry that it was not lawful for them so much as to make Pictures which hath ever been allowed to Christians by all sober moderate persons And I pray what sober moderate person will say it was unlawful for the Jews to make Pictures seeing God himself appointed them to make some but neither appointed nor allowed them to worship any but absolutely forbad it and therefore the Brazen Serpent made by God's own appointment was broken when worshipped which clearly confutes Dr. Thorndick's supposal in his Nineteenth Chapter That the Commandment only forbids the worshipping of Idols that is by his interpretation Statues set up in honour of false Gods for the Brazen Serpent was not an Idol set up in honour of any false God but in honour of a Mercy